Healing the undead

[Quoxis]

Hey and ho, gitp-ers!

For reasons only the gods know i'm fascinated by multiclassing, finding weird synergies and making unconventional characters (therefore anyone whose intention is to write "ditch your concept and make a warlock instead" may leave without reading any further), and for especially the latter reason i want to find out about ways of healing undead - not from undeath itself, e.g. resurrection of any form, but from having their hp lowered.

A guy finds the love of his life, retires from adventuring/serving in the army/doing whatever he did initially, builds a small farm and lives happily ever after with his wife and young son.
BUT THEN a generic evil bad guy('s army) kills his family off!
Knowing that his wife and child would have wanted to fight alongside him, given the chance, he learns a bit about necromancy - not the "draining life force" and "wilt souls" kind, but the raising of the dead to fight, in this case specifically using his wife and son's remains to fight the evil forces of evilness with him, and eventually maybe even resurrect them. Whether that makes him evil by default is an interesting question, but not one for this thread if i may say so. Anyways, as the guy is already traumatized by losing his loved ones once, he couldn't stand to watch the same happening again, so he does his best to shield them from any harm and heal their animated dead bodies.

How does one restore health points to an undead? "Useless", you may hear the normies say, "you can just re-raise the corpses as soon as they drop", and they might be correct here, but that's besides the point. See it as a challenge for the mind of a rules-lawyer if you want. No homebrew, no houserules, no UA please - make it as AL-legal as possible.

[Quoxis]

Things i've found so far:

- "aura of vitality", one of the few (if not the only?) healing spells that doesn't specify to not work on undead or constructs
- scag's "purple dragon knight"/banneret feature that lets you share your "second wind" healing with allied creatures
- the "healer" feat
- healing potions (thanks to Joe the Rat)
- the "regenerate" spell, which not only heals hp but also regrows limbs - perfect for that moldy arm that recently fell off by itself! (thanks to nickl_2000)

Technically there's the possibility of giving temporary hp, as most of the spells and features that allow you to grant those don't specify that undead or constructs are excluded (e.g. aid, heroes' feast, the "inspiring leader" feat...), but let's look the other way for the sake of "real" healing.

[Joe the Rat]

Potions. The SRD potion of healing writeup says nothing about not affecting the undead. 2d4+2 for 50gp (or 25gp and 5 days).

The Healer feat specifies creatures. Undead are creatures. Once per short rest, regain 1d6+4+recipients # of Hit Die in hit points. 5sp a pop for the healer's kit usage.
Edit: Ah, you found this one.

Whether or not they recover HP/HD on a long rest is a gray area.

[Ravinsild]

Does Inflict Wounds do for the Undead what Cure Wounds does for the living or is that just Final Fantasy? (Phoenix Down kills Undead, lol)

[Quoxis]

Potions. The SRD potion of healing writeup says nothing about not affecting the undead. 2d4+2 for 50gp (or 25gp and 5 days).


That's me folks, finding weird stuff even in a never-used class in scag, but missing the most obvious - freaking healing potions. It shalt be added to the list, kind sir!

[Quoxis]

Does Inflict Wounds do for the Undead what Cure Wounds does for the living or is that just Final Fantasy? (Phoenix Down kills Undead, lol)

Not anymore, but 3.5 and 4th edition had this if i'm not mistaken (never played those, i started with 5e).

[Easy_Lee]

Inspiring leader and Heroes' feast also work, though these are sources of temporary HP. I can imagine a purple dragon knight with Inspiring Leader being a pretty good leader of a zombie squad.

[nickl_2000]

Not anymore, but 3.5 and 4th edition had this if i'm not mistaken (never played those, i started with 5e).

This was pretty common in the old version. I remember it working in the AD&D days. Now it doesn't. In fact, necrotic damage (the chill touch cantrip is more effective against undead).


Heroism gives temp HP, College of Glamour Bardic inspiration gives Temp HP, Regenerate definitely works.




As a side note I'm bothered way more than I should be that Heal has "This spell has no effect on constructs or undead" and Healing Word has "This spell has no effect on undead
or constructs"

[DevilMcam]

As far as temp HPs are concerned "Aid" should work as well, any temp HP would do the trick if I am not mistaken, but they usually scale badly

[Quoxis]

This was pretty common in the old version. I remember it working in the AD&D days. Now it doesn't. In fact, necrotic damage (the chill touch cantrip is more effective against undead).


Whoa, a seasoned veteran. I bow before you, old wise one.



Heroism gives temp HP, College of Glamour Bardic inspiration gives Temp HP, Regenerate definitely works.


Temp hp is technically not healing, but i think i'll add a subcategory because it's still almost the same.
College of glam is (as of now) UA, therefore not accepted on all tables.
Regenerate is DEFINITELY on the needed list now, that one takes care of almost anything i want. Sadly my games never made it long enough for a character to get up to 7th level spells...

[nickl_2000]

Whoa, a seasoned veteran. I bow before you, old wise one.


Oh goodness no, that would be a horrible, horrible mistake calling me a wise one. I actually played AD&D because I found a box set at a church rummage sale when I was in Middle School 25 years ago and didn't realize there was anything else

[Quoxis]

Oh goodness no, that would be a horrible, horrible mistake calling me a wise one. I actually played AD&D because I found a box set at a church rummage sale when I was in Middle School 25 years ago and didn't realize there was anything else

Then old wise one it is :smallbiggrin:

[Easy_Lee]

Then old wise one it is :smallbiggrin:

~40 is old? Hah, tell that to an elf! Or Ed Greenwood!

[nickl_2000]

Then old wise one it is :smallbiggrin:

Get off my lawn, young whipersnapper!

[Unoriginal]

and for especially the latter reason i want to find out about ways of healing undead - not from undeath itself, e.g. resurrection of any form, but from having their hp lowered.

[...]
How does one restore health points to an undead?

In 5e, healing spells heal the undead just fine. Clerics can't harm them with cure magic anymore, for exemple.

So yes, a Life Cleric can be used to keep a group of Undead in top shape.

You can also use wands.

[nickl_2000]

In 5e, healing spells heal the undead just fine. Clerics can't harm them with cure magic anymore, for exemple.

So yes, a Life Cleric can be used to keep a group of Undead in top shape.

You can also use wands.

Nope, you are mis-remembering healing spells.

Healing Word


Healing Word
1st-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
A creature o f your choice that you can see within range
regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting
ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead
or constructs.

Cure Wounds

Cure Wounds
1st-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
A creature you touch regains a number o f hit points
equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This
spell has no effect on undead or constructs.

[apepi]

Goodberries would also work on them.

[No brains]

Is there anything that says undead can't spend hit dice on a rest like living creatures do?

[Easy_Lee]

Is there anything that says undead can't spend hit dice on a rest like living creatures do?

Creatures can spend hit die and recover from rests just as players do.

[Unoriginal]

Nope, you are mis-remembering healing spells.

Healing Word


Cure Wounds

Damn, I really am misremembering things today. Thanks for correcting me.

[Lombra]

Battle Master Fighter's Rally Maneouver also can heal undead allies. May go along with the RP stuff, he was a fighter and then became a wizard necromancer to raise his family in a revenge-themed adventure.

[Chugger]

There are great-grandfathers playing this game (I'm not one of them but I did play the box set of pamphlets when that was all there was, before AD&D - I was young at the time).

Life Cleric cast goodberries would heal 4 on an undead? Hahaha! I think it floats RAW. Funny.

I wonder if "Mend" would heal them up, especially skels. Probably not, but it kind of makes sense. If I were DMing this I'd consider letting Mend heal some of the damage - they're not living - and if some evil spirit that keeps them going got weakened by the damage, mend wouldn't heal that. But slashes in dead flesh and chips in bones - mend could fix that, sure. Half heals? If the skel was down 6 you could Mend it back for 3 of that maybe? I dunno... silly but not totally "wrong".

[Mith]

Would there be a problem reintroducing healing spells harming undead/inflict spells healing them?

[Kane0]

In theory, you could use the noble's retainer feature to get yourself some servants. Call them your family and fluff them as undead and viola! Later on when you get actual necromancy abilities they become combat-viable.